Improvement in guides for sewing-machines



w. A SPRINGER.

Guides for Sewing-Machines. N0. 142,819, PatentedSeptemberlB,1873.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM A. SPRINGER, OF MARLBOROUGH, MASS., ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, v

PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS COREY, AND CLIFTON D. HUNTER, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN GUIDES FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 142,819, dated September 16, 1873; application filed June 9, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. SPRINGER, of Marlborough, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a Guide for Sewing-Machines to Facilitate the Sewing of Tongues, Gore-Pieces, &c., to Boots and Shoes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the post of a wax-thread machine with my improvement applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the same.

In the ordinary operation of sewing tongue or gore pieces to boots or shoes inside the row of eyelets a difficulty is experienced in sewing the parts together, so that the inner edge of the piece shall be parallel to the edge of the opening, as required to make the work adapt itself to, and snugly fit, the instep of the wearer; this difficulty arising 'from the fact that the tongue or gore piece must necessarily be placed under the upper in a position where the inner edge of the piece cannot be seen, and, consequently, it becomes necessary to stop the machine or run it very slowly, and at the same time correctly adjust and hold the work by hand in the proper position.

The object of my invention is to overcome this difficulty; and consists in a plate to be applied to the post of a wax-thread sewingmachine, or to the table of other suitable machine, and provided with a stationary or adjustable guide, composed of one or more strips extending on one or both sides of a stop or gage, against which is held the inner edge of the tongue or other piece to be sewed to the upper, whereby much labor is saved, and the work performed in a perfect manner.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings, A is the needle-plate of a wax-thread sewing-machine, which is screwed to its post 13. O is a plate, of the form shown, secured between the post and the needle-plate, the portion a of the plate 0 being higherthan the portion b in order to bring it on a level with the top of the needleplate A. Within the portion a is formed a longitudinal slot, 0, for the reception of a rectangular block, d, attached to the under side of a thin strip, D, between which and another thin strip, E, above it, and midway between their ends, is secured another block, 6, which serves as a stop or gage, against which bears the inner edge of the tongue 5, or other piece of leather to be stitched to the upper 6, the tongue passing between the two strips D E, and the upper passing over the strip E, the tongue and upper extending over the needle-plate, the lower strip D being held down on the plate 0 by a fiat spring, f, secured to the under side of the block d.

It will thus be seen that the inner edge of the tongue-piece is kept constantly in contact with the stop, which serves as a gage to insure the line of stitches being parallel to the inner edge of the tongue-piece, the work being performed in a rapid and perfect manner, and the necessity of stopping or running the machine slowly, and adjusting the position of the tongue-piece, and holding it by hand, while being sewed, being also avoided, whereby it is caused to snugly fit the instep of the wearer.

To the under side of the spring f is secured a projection, h, by means of which the guide may be slid on the plate 0, so as to bring the stop 6 on the right or left of the needle, according as it is desired to stitch the right or left side of the tongue-piece to the upper, which adjustment is a great convenience, as it avoids the necessity of reversing the work, and enables the operator to commence the stitching at the top on either side of the tongue-piece, as desired.

I prefer to make the guide adjustable, as above described.

It is evident that my improved guide may be employed with equal advantage in sewing gore or other pieces to the uppers of boots and shoes.

I am aware that thin metallic plates have heretofore been used to produce a smoothing and holdingtension in sewing-machine guides; this I do not claim; but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The strips E D, connected by the stud e, in combination with the lower spring f, block 01,

and slot-ted plate 0, forming the adjustable sewing-machine guide, as herein described and set forth.

WILLIAM A. SPRINGER. In presence of-- EDWARD F. JOHNSON, HEMAN S. FAY. 

